Forced Abortions In America

In a national
study of women, 64% of those who aborted felt pressured
to do so by others.1 This pressure can
become violent.2 65% suffered symptoms
of trauma.1 In the year following an abortion,
suicide rates are 6-7 times higher.3

Forced Non-Choice .... “I’ll blow her brains out.”

Intense pressure to abort can come from husbands, parents,
doctors, partners, counselors, or close friends and family.
They may threaten or blackmail a woman into abortion.

These are not idle threats. Coercion can escalate to
violence. Women who resist abortion have been beaten, tortured
and killed. One husband jumped on his wife’s stomach to
force an abortion. A mother forced her daughter at gunpoint
to go to the abortion clinic. A woman was forcibly injected
by the baby’s father with an abortifacient drug.2

Unwanted Non-Choice ... Their Choice, Not Hers.

Reasons women give for having abortions:

• Forced
by mother

• Father
opposed
• Husband or boyfriend persuaded me

• No other
option given
• Would have been kicked out

• Loss of
family’s support
• Lack of support from society

• Clinic
persuaded me4

In 95% of all cases, the male partner plays a central
role in the decision.5 Of men interviewed
at abortion clinics 45% recalled urging abortion, including
37% of married men.6 Many of these men
reported being justified in being the primary decision maker
in the decision to have the abortion.6

Coerced Choice ... Taken to the Clinic to Make Sure
She Keeps the Appointment

A former abortion clinic security guard testified before
the Massachusetts legislature that women were routinely
threatened and abused by the boyfriends or husbands who
took them to the clinics to make sure they underwent their
scheduled abortions.7 Many women are also pressured
by clinic staff financially rewarded for selling abortions.8

Forced Choice ... Threats Can Escalate to Violence
or Murder — the Leading Killer of Pregnant Women

The pressure can escalate. Many pregnant women have been
killed by partners trying to prevent the birth, and being
pregnant places women at higher risk of being attacked.9

Murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.10
92% of women surveyed list domestic violence and assault
as the women’s issue that is of highest concern to them.11

Pro-Choice Advocates Are Rightfully Concerned About
Coerced Abortions

While citing
a different statistic, noted pro-choice ethicist Daniel
Callahan, director of the Hastings Center, has acknowledged
the same basic problem:

That men
have long coerced women into unwanted abortion when
it suits their purposes is well-known but rarely mentioned.
Data reported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute indicate
that some 30 percent of women have an abortion because
someone else, not the woman, wants it.14

The Aftermath. Women Coerced into Unwanted Abortions Pay
a High Price.

• 10% have
immediate complications, some are life-threatening.16
• 3.5x higher risk of death from all causes.17

• A 6-7x
higher rate of suicide compared to women giving birth.3

Forced Abortions are
Preventable

It would only take a few minutes for abortion counselors
to inquire of a pregnant women: "Is someone else encouraging
you to have this abortion? Do you want this abortion
to satisfy your own needs or are you looking to do this
to please someone else? Are you feeling pressured
to have this abortion by any other person? Do you
feel any attachment to this pregnancy or any desire to keep
it?"

These questions could save countless women from unwanted
abortions.

These questions can lead to referrals to
family and intervention counseling, or shelters from abuse,
which could help hundreds of thousands of women to avoid unwanted
abortions.

These questions can help save lives. By helping
women avoid unwanted abortions we are helping them to welcome
an unexpected baby into the world, one that she wants, even
if her loved ones don't. But also, with good referrals
we can also help her find the resources and counseling she
needs to convince her boyfriend, husband, parents, or other
pressuring parties
that they should respect her desires and welcome her child
into their lives too. With time, most people can adjust
and welcome an "unexpected" baby into their lives.

But today, abortion providers are free to ignore these
questions. And sadly, to save time during patient
intake, most do.

The sad reality is that many abortion providers simply
do abortions on request, no questions asked. Whenever
they fail to screen for coercion or other risk factors,
they are neglecting their obligation to their patients and
missing the opportunity to help women in the ways
they want and deserve.

The Prevention of Coerced and Unsafe Abortions Act simply
defines that it is an act of medical negligence not to make
at least a good faith effort to screen for evidence of coercion.
It further provides that only the woman can hold the abortion
provider accountable for any failure to do proper screening.
This act does not interfere with the private decision of
a woman and her doctor. But it does allow women to
better hold doctors accountable for providing adequate screening
and counseling.

American Voters Are Concerned About Coercion

Even though Americans have been kept in the dark about unwanted
abortions, nearly half of voters believe coerced abortion
is common.13 Voters support candidates
who advocate legislation holding abortionists liable for
failing to screen for evidence of coercion.13

16. Frank, et.al., "Induced Abortion Operations
and Their Early Sequelae," Journal of the Royal College
of General Practitioners 35(73):175-180, April 1985; Grimes and Cates,
"Abortion: Methods and Complications", in Human Reproduction,
2nd ed., 796-813; M.A.